The Ultimate Christmas Present
by BurningxRedxCaskett
Summary: As soon as she says the four words on the tip of her tongue, it will makes the situation more real...She closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath and whispers, "I think I'm pregnant." Future Fic. Caskett of course.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:** Hey guys! So this is a future fic...set sometime around Christmas 2014...at least in my head. I took the idea of the 3 kids we were teased with Monday night, and this is what came of it.

Thank you to **alwayscastle2** for reading this over for me. I can see us having a long and happy partnership.

As always, reviews are love, leave some!

-Krystle

* * *

She's never late. She's always been right on time, every month like clockwork, third week of every month, middle of the week. As she stares at the calendar on her computer screen she counts the days.

Twenty.

She counts, and recounts, so many times that her eyes start to hurt. She looks at the empty chair next to her desk. Her husband is suffering through a meeting at Black Pawn, which is probably a good thing. He'd know something was on her mind the minute he'd look at her, and right now, she doesn't need that.

She smiles, and looks down at her wedding band-the large diamond engagement ring is on her necklace, but she wears the wedding band on her finger. They've been married for six months. Every day with him was something new, he always found new ways to shower her with love, prove to her that there was no one else he'd rather be with. Despite her telling him that she knows how serious he is, he continues to surprise her. She loves it. She loves_ him_.

They hadn't talked about kids, not since that ridiculous case with the man who said he was "from the future"-Castle had had fun with that one. Honestly, she needed an aspirin every time she thought about it.

Shaking her head from her thoughts, she absentmindedly grabs her phone, jacket, bag and keys, and heads towards the elevators. She needs to get out of the precinct. She doesn't even feel the eyes of her partners on her retreating back.

Esposito and Ryan's eyes follow her to the elevator, and when she steps in and the doors close, Ryan looks at Espo, "What's going on with her?"

"I don't know, bro," Espo says, "but whatever it is, it's personal."

**CB**

"Hey, Lanie," Kate says, walking into the morgue, making her friend jump.

"Girl, what have I told you about doing that?"

Kate pulls an 'oops' face, "To _not_ sneak in like that."

"And yet, you still do," Lanie retorts, putting her clipboard down next to whomever she's examining. "Now, not that I'm not always thrilled with a visit from you, but what do you need? You and the guys don't have an active case right now, so this is a personal call."

Kate knows as soon as she says the four words on the tip of her tongue, that it makes the situation more real. Lanie's the only one she really trusts with this right now. She knows that Lanie would be more than thrilled for her and Rick. Hell, Lanie is probably their biggest cheerleader.

She closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath and whispers, "I think I'm pregnant."

Lanie's eyes grow wide, and a small smile appears on her face, and then she's launched herself into her best friend's arms, "Are you sure?"

Kate shakes her head and shrugs, "I don't know, Lanie. I mean, I'm late; and I'm _never_ late. I'm almost annoyingly on time." A small smile graces her features, and a hand unconsciously rests on her stomach, "But I just-I have to know."

Lanie smiles, "Well, here." The medical examiner walks over to one of her cabinets and pulls out a plastic specimen cup, then returns to her friend, handing it to her, "let's find out if I'm going to be an Aunty."

Kate smiles, and hugs Lanie, "Thank you."

Once Kate returns with the specimen, Lanie gets to work. She occasionally looks over at her friend, who is sitting on an empty exam table so lost in thought that a body dropping from the ceiling probably wouldn't phase her.

"What are you thinking, Kate?"

Kate looks over at her friend and smiles, "This is the perfect Christmas present for him, Lanie."

Lanie smiles, she knows that Kate had wanted to get Rick something special for their first Christmas as a married couple. Who knew it would be this? The machine beeps, and Lanie watches as Kate's eyes fill with excitement, and hope. "You ready to find out?"

Kate nods, "Yeah."

Turning back to the machine, Lanie prints out the results, closes her eyes, and folds the paper. She wants to find out when Kate does. Something like this, she can settle being second, hell even third knowing.

Kate takes the paper from Lanie as the ME opens her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Kate unfolds the paper. Lanie doesn't need words of confirmation; the look on Kate's face is enough for her. Kate's eyes fill with tears, and a smile appears on her face and an unusually girlish giggle comes from her.

"Kate…?"

Looking up at Lanie, all Kate does is nod, and gets off of the table to meet her best friend in a hug. Both of them crying and giggling.

"Oh my gosh," Kate says, still letting the news sink in. "I'm gonna be a mom."

Lanie smiles, "When are you gonna tell Rick?"

"Christmas morning," Kate answers. "It's only two days away. I should be able to keep a secret for that long."

**CB**

It had been harder than she thought. But, Christmas morning was finally here, and she was up before Alexis and Rick. Martha had decided to spend the holiday in the Hamptons, which was odd, and made Kate feel slightly hurt, considering what she was going to share with the family.

After Kate uses the bathroom, she climbs back under the covers, and pulls out a tiny box from her bedside table drawer. She rolls to her side, and places her hand on her husband's chest, her head propped up on her left hand.

She taps the hand on his chest, "Castle…Castle."

"Hmm," he finally mumbles. "What time is it?"

Kate smiles, "5:30. Wake up."

Rick opens an eye, and looks at her smiling face, "You woke me up at 5:30?"

"Yeah," she smiles, nodding her head. "It's our first Christmas as a married couple, Rick."

Who can argue with that? He rolls to his side, pulling her closer to him, and leans in to kiss her, "Yes it is. Merry Christmas, Mrs. Castle."

Her smile is wide, and she leans into kiss him again, "Merry Christmas."

"You know," Rick says, rubbing her hip playfully, "Alexis won't be up until at least eight."

"Oh, really?"

"Mmhm," he replies, leaning down to nibble on her neck. "We could always keep ourselves occupied."

Her eyes roll back into her head as his tongue darts out to tease her. She has to remind herself that she has a plan.

"We could," she says, and he thinks it's in agreement, until she pulls away from him slightly. "Or, you could open your present."

"You're supposed to be my present," he says, leaning back in, and pouting when she pulls away and turns to her bedside table to retrieve a box, held closed by a red bow.

"Please, Rick?" she says, putting on a pout of her own. "It's been really hard to keep this a secret. I promise it'll be worth it."

He has to smile at her excitement, and nods his head. "Okay, Kate, I'll open my present."

Kate smiles as he moves to sit up with her. Once he's comfortable, she hands him the box, and sits with her legs underneath her. She watches as he carefully unties the bow, and tosses it to the side, he then takes off the lid to the box, and discards it as well. She feels tears start to burn her eyes as he moves one piece of tissue paper to the side, followed by the other, to reveal a folded up piece of paper. She bites her lower lip as he picks the paper up out of the box and unfolds it.

She'll never forget the look on his face. As his eyes skim over the paper, his breathing becomes a hair faster, a smile forms on his lips, and his eyes look like they are starting to water. It feels like an eternity until he finally looks up at her.

"Really?" he asks, as if the confirmation in his hand wasn't enough.

Kate smiles, nods, and laughs, letting out a choked sob, "Yeah. Really. Lanie ran it twice. We're pregnant."

"Come here," he says, and she launches herself into his arms, her hands locked behind his neck, and his around her waist. Her tears fall freely from her eyes, as he whispers to her, "This is the best present ever."

Her smile is radiant as she pulls away slightly to look at his smiling face, before he captures her lips in a searing kiss. He gently lays her down on the bed, smoothing out her hair and resting his forehead on hers when their kiss breaks. Her hand comes to rest on his cheek, and she smiles at him again. "I love you, Rick. So much."

"I love you too, Kate, more than you'll ever know."

He slips his hand under her night shirt, lifting up slightly, and burns a trail of soft kisses down her neck, to her breasts, to her stomach. She sees his eyes fill with love, as he whispers into her skin, "I love you, baby."

He kisses her stomach where their baby is nestled, and her hand runs through his hair, a tear escaping from her eyes. She could live the rest of her life on cloud nine knowing that she's the one who's made him this happy.

He's given her more than she could have ever asked for. He's shown her what love really is. He's helped her face her demons. He's helped her find her mother's murderer. He's made her a wife. He's given her a beautiful daughter. He's made her a mother. Something she always dreamed of, but was never really sure would happen. But it has, and she couldn't be happier with where she is in life.

As her husband smiles down at her, she leans in to kiss him.

Merry Christmas indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note:** Wow guys! Just, wow! I had originally intended this story to be a one-shot, as I already have a multi-chapter story going...but you guys, you beautiful people gave me so many reviews begging me for more. So here it is, and I hope you like it.

Again, thank you to **alwayscastle2** for reading this.

Reviews are love, leave some!

-Krystle

P.S. 2 more days till Castle :)

* * *

They are lying in bed, Kate on her back, and Rick on his side. His hand is resting comfortably on her stomach, her hand resting on his as he traces patterns on her skin. She can't help but feel as though this is the definition of perfection. She's never been anywhere near perfect, in her eyes; Rick tells her every day that she's perfect. Up until now, she wasn't sure such a thing existed. But now…

"I can't believe there's a baby in there," Rick whispers, still in awe over the news.

Kate giggles, "Neither can I."

"How are you feeling? Can I get you anything? Food? Juice?"

She decides to tease him, "I would _love_ a cup of coffee."

"Coming right…." Rick eyes her, "You can't have coffee."

"One cup of regular coffee isn't going to harm the baby," she says, "just so long as it's not every day, and I can have coffee…it'll just have to be decaf." Her nose turns up at the last word. She never understood why they even made decaffeinated coffee…what's the point of coffee if it's not caffeinated?

"Kate, I just want to keep you and the baby safe for as long as I can," he says, knowing that she's going to catch on to what he's eluding to.

And she does. He's worried about her safety and the baby's while she's at work. After all, she doesn't have the safest job in the world. There are risks out there every day; criminals who won't hesitate to take her out if she so much as gets in the way. Only now, it's not just her life at stake; it's the new life that they've created.

"Rick," she whispers. Maybe they didn't think this 'having a baby' thing through. "You know that as soon as we tell Javi, Kevin, and Gates that I'm pregnant, they're going to limit my time in the field, right? Yeah, I'll still track down leads, and hunt the bad guy, but babe, Javi and Kevin will take point. I'll go in last. You know I would never intentionally put myself or this baby in harm's way, don't you?"

"Of course I know that," he says, leaning down to kiss her softly, "But these dirt bags…they don't care that you're a wife, and a mother. They don't know how long we waited to get to this moment. I just-I worry about you every day, and now…now that we have this baby on the way, I'm going to be a wreck."

"You have to trust me, Rick," she whispers, "You have to trust the guys too. You know that they would lay their life on the line if it meant protecting mine. Especially Javi," she smiles, "Do you remember what he told you when we started dating?"

"How could I forget," Rick smiles, and in his best Esposito voice, "Bro, if you hurt her, I will not hesitate to shoot you. She's my girl; I've seen her at her worst and at her best. Treat her right."

She runs her hand down his cheek, her thumb running along his lower lip, she looks him in the eye, "You've never hurt me, you know?" At his nod, she leans up to kiss him, and they jump apart when the door to their bedroom opens, and she smiles.

"Merry Christmas, Daddy!" Alexis yells joyfully, running in and bouncing herself down on the bed like she would do when she was a kid, "Merry Christmas, Kate!"

"Merry Christmas, Lex," Kate says, sitting up in bed, and looking over at the clock. It's almost eight, Rick was right. "You ready to open gifts?"

"Of course!" Alexis says, smiling at her parents. "Did I interrupt something?"

Rick smiles, "No, we were just talking." He rolls out of bed, grabbing his bathrobe and hands Kate hers, "Come on, I'll make us some breakfast and then we can start opening gifts."

Alexis and Kate look at each other, and at the same time says, "Pancakes!"

**CB**

Sitting around the living room, the mess of ripped Christmas papers a pile on the floor, Alexis in the center of it, Kate and Rick on the couch, the red head smiles. "Well, that's it."

She didn't do too bad, she got a few things she wanted and needed for school, including the newest Mac lap top, an iPad, and some new boots she'd had her eye on.

Rick looks over at Kate and smiles, and she nods, scooting closer to him as he says, "Actually, Alexis, there is one more gift we have for you."

Alexis perks up, "Really?! Where is it?"

Rick looks at Kate who smiles, and says, "Well, it's not here yet. It won't be here for about nine months."

Alexis looks up at her parents, eyes wide, and a smile appearing on her face, "Wait..you're-I'm going to be a big sister?"

Rick nods, and Kate smiles, "Yeah, I'm pregnant."

"Oh. My. God!" Alexis screams, and untangles herself from the mess on the floor launching into Kate's arms. "I'm so excited! Oh my God!"

Kate giggles, "So I'm guessing you're okay with this?"

"Are you kidding?!" Alexis exclaims, "I can't wait! Who else knows? Have you told Gram yet?"

Castle shakes his head, "No, we haven't. Kate just found out two days ago."

"What?! You've known for two days and didn't tell me?" the red head questions, her hands on her hips.

"Well, I suspected, so I had Lanie run a test," Kate explains, "when the results came back positive, I decided that I wanted to tell your dad as a Christmas present, and you as well. I thought it was a cute idea."

Alexis and Rick both notice the change in Kate's voice, and the tears that begin to swell in her eyes. Rick puts an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer, and Alexis leaps in to hug her, "Kate, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make you cry! Please don't cry. It was a wonderful Christmas present! The best one I've received. I promise I'm not mad."

Rick kisses the side of Kate's head, "Honey, its fine. This was the greatest present you could have given both of us."

Kate nods, and wipes the tear that fell from her eyes, "Sorry, I don't know what happened."

"If you think that deserves an apology, just wait until later," Rick says, chuckling slightly. "I'm sure somewhere along the road, you'll be sending me to the couch, and telling me that you're never letting me touch you again."

"I can't wait," Kate deadpans, with an eye roll.

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note:** Hey guys, sorry it's taken so long for an update...this was my first time writing Martha...so I wanted to make sure I wrote her character out perfectly. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to **alwayscastle2** for reading this over for me.

Reviews are love, leave some.

-Krystle

* * *

"Darlings, I'm home!" Martha calls out, as she drops her bag by the door. She decided to return from the Hamptons a day early, after all, it is Richard and Katherine's first Christmas as a married couple.

Alexis comes running in from her room and squeals, "Gram! I thought you weren't back until tomorrow?"

"Yes, well, plans change my dear."

Rick and Kate walk hand and hand in from the living room, "Mother, we're so glad you're back."

"Now, Richard, you don't have to get too excited," Martha says, jokingly to her son and his enthusiasm.

Kate brings the older woman into a hug and smiles, "He's serious. Welcome home, Martha."

"I actually am serious, Mother," Rick says, pulling his mother in for a hug. "It doesn't feel like Christmas when you're not around."

"Are you going to tell her?" Alexis asks, trying to hold back her excitement.

"Tell me what?" Martha asks

Rick smiles, "Let's let Gram get comfortable after her drive."

"Come on, Martha," Kate says, taking the woman by the arm and leading her to the kitchen, "I'll make you some coffee."

Once Martha and Kate's backs are to each other, Rick looks at Alexis and widens his eyes at her, to which he gets the innocent 'who me', face back. He narrows his eyes at her and she grins at him and shrugs

Rick and Alexis make their way to the kitchen and Kate gives him 'the look', and he nods. "Do you want a cup, babe?"

"Sure, honey," Rick answers, taking the mug from her.

After a few moments, Rick and Martha sipping their coffee, the elder red head looks up at Kate who is without her own coffee. "Katherine, dear, where's your cup?"

Kate shrugs, "I just don't feel like coffee right now."

Martha chuckles, "My dear girl, there are two reasons why a woman turns down coffee: she either doesn't like it or she's preg-" Martha catches Kate's smile. "Oh, my. You're pregnant!"

Alexis is bouncing up and down, Rick is grinning like an idiot, and Kate just smiles wider, and nods. "Yeah, I'm pregnant."

"Ahh!" Martha exclaims, and jumps up and comes around the kitchen island to wrap Kate in a warm embrace. "This is wonderful news! When did you find out? How far along are you? Details, my dear, I need details!"

**CB**

Its early morning. Too early to be awake, but yet, here she is, in the back of a town car with her mother-in-law. Kate runs her fingers through her hair, and turns to Martha, "Where exactly are we going at seven in the morning?"

"Oh, darling, I'm going to feed you and then we will do some browsing at baby items," Martha says. "When Meredith was pregnant with Alexis, I never got to do this. She and I never really saw eye to eye you know."

Kate nods, "No one ever does when it comes to Meredith, really." Then sucking up her courage, she smiles at the woman, and grabs her hand, "We can browse, but let's not buy anything until Rick and I decide if we are going to find out the sex. Deal?"

Martha smiles, "Deal."

Their breakfast went off without a hitch. Martha insisted on paying for the meal, and Kate agreed, knowing how much this day meant to the older woman. Kate smiles when Martha starts talking about all the things she did with Alexis when she was growing up and how she can't wait to do it all over again.

An overwhelming feeling of sadness comes over Kate as she realizes that Martha is going to be the only Grandmother her children have. She doesn't realize she's crying until Martha's rambling stops, and a hand rests on her arm.

"Darling, are you alright? Why are you crying?"

Kate looks over at Martha and wipes her eyes, "I'm sorry, I just…"

"What is it Katherine?"

"I just realized that you're my children's only grandmother," she whispers.

Martha's eyes tear up as well, and she pulls Kate into a strong embrace. "Oh, Katherine. Your mother would be so proud of you and the woman you've become. She'll be watching over you and the baby, my dear. Believe me when I tell you that Richard will do everything in his power to make sure that your children know about Johanna."

Kate smiles at her, "Thank you, Martha. Thank you for today."

"Of course," Martha says smiling. "I know that I'm not your mother, but I hope you know that you are very much my daughter; and that I'll always be in your life, no matter where your marriage with Richard ends up."

"Thank you," Kate says, hugging her again. "But Rick is stuck with me for life."


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: **So...I had this written yesterday...but I was babysitting my handsome 5 year old nephew, and couldn't post it. He's such a character that guy. I just love him. Anyhow...here is the next chapter, I hope you like it.

As always, thanks to **alwayscastle2** for reading this for me. 58 days till #crosscountrybffsunite!

Reviews are love, leave some!

-Krystle

* * *

Kate walks into the precinct, without Rick following her like he usually does. He had been called into Black Pawn yet again. She swears, the meetings have been getting more and more frequent since they got married. It makes her hate Gina that much more. He was gone before she woke up, which meant she didn't get her coffee, or morning kisses. Hell, she even missed his morning talk with the baby.

She smiles at that thought. It still takes her by surprise that she's pregnant. He had sent her a text telling her that he'd be at the precinct around eleven, so she's got at least three more hours until she'll be able to kiss him good morning. They planned on telling the guys and Gates about the baby today, first thing, but since Gina called that damn meeting, it has to wait.

The case that they're currently working on is doing nothing to keep her distracted. When they come across a lead, she lets Kevin and Javi follow it up, with the excuse she's going to go over crime scene photos one more time to make sure they didn't miss anything. Really, she doesn't feel safe if Rick isn't with her in the field, especially now that she's pregnant.

No sooner did the boys leave, is there a hand holding a coffee cup in front of her face. The smile on her face is radiant as she quickly stands and throws her arms around her husband. She refrains from kissing him until they are secluded in the break room, blinds down, doors closed.

She presses herself into him, her arms around his neck, and fuses their lips together. "You are not allowed to leave when I'm sleeping ever again," she says, resting her forehead on his.

"Believe me, I didn't want to," he tells her, gripping her waist tight. "But, you'll be happy to know that I will no longer have to deal with Gina."

"What do you mean?"

"That's what this meeting was about," he explains. "She's being transferred to their LA office, and as of an hour ago, I have a new publisher."

Kate smiles, "Well, as long as she doesn't drag you out of our bed at an ungodly hour I'll have no problem with her."

"Well, he's a man, and hates meetings. He's assured me that unless it's life or death, he avoids meetings," he grins, leaning down to kiss her once more. "So, where are the boys?"

"Following a lead."

"And you didn't go with them?"

She shrugs, "I didn't want to go without you."

Rick smiles at her. Ever since she found out about the pregnancy, she's been more cautious, and a tad clingier. He's not complaining, this is a new side to Kate that he's never seen before, and if a pregnancy is all it takes to make her realize that she's not Wonder Woman, he's going to give her more than the three kids they were told about a year ago.

"Have you told Gates yet?"

Kate shakes her head, "No. I wanted you with me."

"Let's go then," he says, holding her hand and leading her out of the break room. Walking up to the Captain's office door, he knocks, "Excuse us, Sir, may we come in?"

Gates peers up over her glasses to see her best detective and Castle standing in her doorway. "Whatever it is, could it wait an hour?"

Kate shakes her head, "No, Sir, it's rather important and we'd like to talk to you before the boys get back."

"Very well," Gates says, taking her glasses off, and dropping her pen. "Come in."

Castle closes the door behind them, and he and Kate sit in the chairs across from the desk. Kate looks at Rick who nods encouragingly at her. "Sir, I would like to request as limited field time as possible."

Gates' eyes widen, and Kate can swear she sees the hint of a smile forming on her face. "Starting when?"

"As soon as possible," Kate answers.

Victoria Gates may be a hard ass, but she's still a woman. She's known something was up with Kate for a while, and although she had her suspicions, she didn't have any proof. Until now. Smiling at the couple before her, Gates asks, "How far along are you?"

"Ten weeks," Kate smiles, lacing her fingers with Ricks. "I found out two days before Christmas."

"It's wonderful news, Detective, congratulations to you, and to you Mr. Castle."

"Thank you, Sir," Castle grins.

"Seeing as how you're pregnant, I have no choice but to put you on desk duty effective immediately," Gates smiles, "I can't have my best detective and her unborn child in harm's way."

"Thank you, Sir," Kate says, then looks at Castle, giving his hand a squeeze. "I also wanted to take an extended maternity leave. I'd like to be there for all the firsts, I'd like to take the first year of the baby's life off, and after the year, I'll see if there is still a place for me here."

Gates nods understandingly. "We'll discuss it when the time comes."

After talking to Gates a bit more, the couple leaves when she says that there are two more people who need to know about their news. Which is how they found out Espo and Ryan returned to the precinct. Walking out of the Captain's office, they both get worried looks from the boys.

"Everything okay, Chica?" Espo asks.

Kate nods, "Yeah, everything's fine. Get anything?"

"No," Kevin answers.

"Just another dead end."

Kate manages to keep them distracted as Castle walks over to her desk, reaching into the bottom desk drawer to pull out a couple of gift bags. Walking back over to where his wife and their friends are and hands the boys the bags.

"What's this, bro?" Espo asks, looking at the package in his hand.

Kevin nods in agreement, "Seriously? We're getting rewarded for coming back empty handed?"

Kate laughs, "No, we just forgot to give these to you for Christmas. You don't have to open them now."

"Nah, I'm gonna open it now, I love presents," Espo says, digging through the tissue paper, and pulls out a coffee mug. He looks up at Kate and Rick, looking back and forth. "Seriously?"

Kate smiles and nods, "Yeah. Seriously."

"Chica!" Javi places the mug on his desk and hugs Kate. It's no secret that he and Kate are close. They went through the academy together, and he was the first person she trusted with the details of her mother's death. He's been with her through everything, and this is just another journey he gets to watch and help her through.

By this time, Kevin has opened his gift too, and gives Rick a hand shake, "Congratulations, man."

"Thank you, Ryan," he smiles.

"Hey, Jav, can I cut in?" Kevin asks, clapping Espo on his shoulder.

Javi pulls away from Kate, who's started crying. "Yeah, man."

Kevin pulls Kate in for a hug as well, "You're going to be an amazing mom, Beckett."

Kate nods on his shoulder, "Thank you, Kevin."

Their hug breaks and Kevin turns to Javi. "You know, this is war right?"

"What?"

"We both got coffee mugs saying: _'My Uncle is the best-baby Castle'_."

"Oh, I see," Javi says, squaring his shoulders. "Fine. You want a war, it starts now."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Kate looks at Rick, and back at the boys. "I told you they'd make a fight over being better than the other."

Rick grins, "I know, where's the popcorn?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note:** wow guys! Thank you so much for over 50 reviews! You're amazing, and I love each and every one of you! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

As always, **alwayscastle2** thanks for reading this! I know...I _really_ have to twist your arm to get you to look over my chapters...lol

Reviews are love, leave some!

-Krystle

* * *

Lunch rolls around and normally, Kate would fight Rick trying to get her to eat, but she agrees to go to Remy's. They eat their lunch and instead of sitting across from each other, they're side by side. Kate leaning into Rick's side, she missed him when she woke up that morning and is trying to make up for it. They sit there, watching the people of New York pass by the window, content just being with each other.

Kate's hand floats to her stomach when she watches as a pregnant woman passes by; an action that doesn't go unnoticed by her husband, because his hand covers hers. "I can't wait to feel the baby move."

Kate looks up into his eyes and smiles, "Neither can I."

"Are you going to be comfortable with me touching your belly?" he asks.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugs, "When Meredith was pregnant with Alexis, she wouldn't let me feel the baby, and she scheduled the doctor's appointments when she knew that I would have a meeting with my publisher. I missed out a lot. The only reason I found out that Alexis was going to be a girl was because she 'accidentally' left the shopping bags of baby items in the living room."

She doesn't know if it's the hormones, or the fact that what he was put through was sad, but she's got tears in her eyes listening to his story. She pulls him down to her in a sweet kiss, and a tear escapes her eye. "I promise, you're going to be there for everything, Rick. I can't do this on my own. Every appointment, when or _if_ we find out if we're having a boy or a girl, the first time he or she kicks…you're not getting out of this pregnancy that easily. This pregnancy is ours. There's no one else I'd want to have by my side through this. So stop worrying. Okay?"

He thumbs away the tears that have fallen from her eyes and kisses her. "I love you, so much."

"I love you too," she whispers, tugging on his hand, "Come on, let's get outta here."

Rick drops some bills on the table, and follows her out of the booth. They climb into the Crown Victoria, and she pulls out into traffic. Kate smiles when Rick places his hand on her thigh. She looks over at him and shakes her head at the look on his face. "Don't you dare start something that we can't finish until we get home," she says.

He removes his hand with a huff, and she rolls her eyes, reaching across the seat to grab his hand and place it back on her thigh. "I said, don't _start_ anything, not, don't _touch_ me."

Rick had been staring out of the window for the whole ride so he didn't notice where they were going. It's not until the car stops and she turns off the engine that he snaps out of his daze and looks around.

Looking over at Kate, he can see that she's nervous. She gets out of the car, and he follows suit, placing his hands on her hips when she stands in front of him. "Kate are you sure?"

She brings her arms up and around his neck and nods, "Yeah, I'm sure." She smiles softly up at him, trying to mask her sadness, and says, "Let's go tell Mom she's going to be a Grandma."

Rick nods, and laces their fingers. Something she usually fusses over when they're in public is now a source of comfort for her. He lets her lead the way to her mother's grave site. He's never been her mom's grave. He never pushed her on the subject; he knew she'd bring him in her own time.

When they walk up to the stone, he can see the change in Kate. Her breathing has become shallower, almost like she's nervous. Rick squeezes her hand letting her know that he's with her. This calms her nerves a little bit. She turns to her husband, "Sit with me?"

He nods, and sits down, she follows, and leans back onto his chest, steadying her breathing when his arms wrap around her middle. He kisses her head, and whispers to her to take her time. After a few minutes of just sitting in silence, she takes a breath. "Hey, Mom. I'm sorry I haven't been by lately. I haven't forgotten about you. A lot's happened since the last time I visited. Remember how I told you about Rick Castle? If you were here you'd be saying 'I told you so', but I finally opened my heart and let him in. We dated for a year, and he asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes. We've been married for almost seven months. He's my 'one and done', just like Daddy was yours. So Mom, this is Rick, Rick, this is my mom."

Rick clears his throat, who knew he'd be nervous meeting her mother. "Um, hi, Mrs. Beckett. I just want to assure you that your daughter is my everything. Every day with her is something new, and exciting. I love her with everything that I am, so don't worry. You're baby girl is _always_ in good hands."

Kate wipes at the tear that has fallen. "We have some exciting news, Mom." She takes a breath, the inner strength in her crumbling as she starts to cry harder. She turns her head into Rick's neck, he holds her tight to him, knowing that this is not the way she imagined sharing this kind of news with her mother.

In a perfect world, they'd find some cutesy way to tell Johanna that she's going to be a grandmother. But this isn't a perfect world. Here they were, sitting in the middle of the cemetery, with only a headstone to talk to. "Its okay, Kate," Rick whispers.

"It's not. She's not here, Rick, she's gone."

"I know," he whispers, running his hand through her hair. "But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure we keep her alive."

She nods, and calms down, taking a few steady breaths. "Sorry, Mom. Uh, like I was saying, we have some exciting news. You're going to have a grandchild. I'm-we're pregnant. I found out just before Christmas. Best Christmas present ever."

Kate sighs deeply and leans into Castle's chest pulling his arms tighter around her body. "I miss her so much, Rick. Now more than ever. Who am I going to talk to about every new experience with this pregnancy? Who's going to be holding my other hand in the delivery room?"

She's sobbing now. Rick has never felt more helpless than he does in this moment. He knows that his words are always a comfort to her, but no matter what he says, he can't bring her mother back. He kisses her softly on her head, and holds her. "What do you say we call Gates and let her know that you'll be taking the rest of the day off? We can go home, and relax."

Kate nods, "I think that's a great idea. Thank you, Rick."

"For what?"

"For holding me, for not pushing me, for loving me."

He tilts her chin so he can kiss her lips. "Always."


End file.
